Sandburg's 1st home game to honor veterans

Sandburg High officials invite alumni veterans to a special Veterans Appreciation game

August 30, 2012|By Ashley Rueff, Chicago Tribune reporter

Sandburg High School quarterback Dylan Swan, 17, wears a camouflage T-shirt designed for the school’s Aug. 31 Veterans Appreciation football game against Stagg High School. (Ashley Rueff, Chicago Tribune)

Instead of finding the usual sea of blue and gold in the football stadium stands, Sandburg High School officials hope to see camouflage Aug. 31 during a special Veterans Appreciation game.

When players from neighboring Stagg High School in Palos Hills arrive to take on Sandburg during its first home game of the season, the night will be dedicated to area veterans, an event designed both to honor members of the armed services and teach students the meaning of their sacrifice, said Sandburg's Head Coach Dave Wierzal.

"We want to thank the men and women of this country who not just put their lives at risk but sacrifice a part of their lives…so we can enjoy the freedoms that we have," he said.

As head coach for the Orland Park school, Wierzal said he tries to teach his players to find a balance between working hard to be a great football team and realizing that in the end, it is still only a game.

"There are other people involved in things that are much more consequential, " he said.

A handful of Sandburg graduates who have gone on to serve in the armed forces will be honored during the game. Wierzal said he hopes their presence will help his players understand why it is important to show them thanks.

"To be able to shake the hand of somebody, it adds weight or significance to it that you don't get otherwise," he said.

Both high schools, which are in Consolidated High School District 230, are selling special camouflage T-shirts for the game to raise money for the New Lenox-based Homes4Heroes, a non-profit organization that helps veterans by making necessary improvements to their homes. Andrew High School in Tinley Park is also in District 230.

In addition, all profits from the game's concession sales, which normally help pay for player uniforms, will be donated. Between the two schools, Wierzal said the goal is to raise between $6,000 and $7,000 for Homes4Heroes.

"It really is about trying to say thanks to somebody and also to make a real gesture to an organization," he said.

Homes4Heroes has made improvements to the homes of 18 area veterans since it was created in 2010, said founder Bill Johnson.

Often labor and materials for the projects are donated, but funds from events like the football game can go a long way in helping a veteran, he said. Money from the event has already been earmarked for a Vietnam veteran from Orland Park in need of a wheelchair ramp and a renovated bathroom at his home, Johnson said.

"It's one of those evenings that I wouldn't want to miss for the world," he said.

In addition to the fundraising, Orland Memorial Post 111 Honor Guard will participate, the Sandburg marching band will perform a special halftime show, and the game will be followed by a fireworks display.

"It's a great thing for the community and a great thing for the high school to give back to the veterans," Phillip Bell, chair of the Orland Park Veterans Commission and Orland Park's first veteran to receive assistance from Homes4Heroes.

In April, the organization repaired his dilapidated roof. Now, Bell, a Sandburg graduate, is helping promote Friday's event so that other area veterans can receive the same support.

The pre-game begins at 6:15 p.m. with kickoff at 7:15 p.m. at Sandburg High School, 13300 South La Grange Road.